What Exactly is Rachel Nichols' Role in the Giannis Antetokounmpo-James Harden Beef?
It's a double interview Friday on Pardon My Take. First up, ESPN's Rachel Nichols, who is also a recurring guest on the show. She joined Mr. Cat and Mr. Commenter to discuss where the NBA season goes from here if and when it resumes, frontrunners for MVP, and more. Mr. Commenter also asked her about the role in beef around the league when that becomes a thing, specifically, the war of words between Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden:
Mr. Commenter: Giannis and James Harden, and about that interview... I feel like there's plays in this league that have a Rachel Nichols button on their desk for whenever they want to start some serious beef or get some headlines, they smash that button, you fly into town, you're like, okay, I'm going to do the biggest interview of the season and get this new, big storyline out there. What was the setup like for that interview?
Rachel Nichols: Was it like a bat signal, kind of like that?
Mr. Commenter: Exactly. It's like, some shit needs to go down. We need ratings. So, let's get Rachel.
Rachel Nichols: I want like a good icon, though. A bat in the sky is one thing. I want something good. So, just workshop that for me, okay?
Mr. Commenter: It's the portion of your set that used to have a painting on it before Bill Walton took it off. It's just a blank wall. That's what that is.
Rachel Nichols: No, I mean, it's kind of been simmering for a while and I don't think people quite realized it. And it goes back to when James Harden was going for MVP and Giannis won it last year. There was a pretty heavy chorus from the Rockets organization, not just the fans, saying that Giannis should not have won the MVP. Giannis took that personally, it seems like, and he's been getting in these little side digs at Harden this season. So, when it became time to select the All-Star teams, Giannis and LeBron James were on there, and they were going through their teams, and James Harden was still on the board, quite some time, was still on the board. And Charles Barkley, never afraid to take a shot, was like, "Oh, neither one of you wants the dribbler?" And Giannis chimed in with, "I want someone who's going to pass me the ball." So, that was the first thing. He took Kemba Walker over James Harden. So, it felt like a slight that Giannis passed him over for Kemba. Then, after the All-Star Game, Giannis was explaining what happened in the 4th quarter, he just said, "Our team, yeah, we just threw the ball to anyone that James Harden was defending."
Mr. Commenter: I like it, THIS LEAGUE.
Rachel Nichols: Anchor, reporter, and... beef mediator?? That's what it seems like, at least in this case scenario. I agree with Mr. Commenter's take on the "Rachel Nichols button" that players whip out when they feel the need to start something up. Especially these next few weeks, with no games to talk about, it wouldn't shock me to see some more beef happen. And don't be shocked if today's guest is somehow put right in the middle of it.
